Destroying Hearts
by BlackMoonEmpress
Summary: After being abandoned by her father as a child, she has come back to reek revenge on all of those who oppose her. Including her own sister. But will her hatred overcome her counter part?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer- I borrowed some names from Final fantasy and if there is anything here that isn't mine, I already know that, so please don't sue, anything that is yours then it is**.**

"Hate of the Forgotten"

"Love Divided"

Chapter 1

Swiftly through the night the shadow moves, avoiding the moonlight that slithers its' way through the dense forest above. She will never stop, because the truth is seeking her. The horrible truth, of her abandonment.

Though, darkness rules half of this world, light inhabits the other half. In this part of the world lives a legend. The princess of Gaea is known for her beauty and grace, but mostly because of the mark upon her head. The mark of good and light. 

How she received this holy mark, is a mystery to all. Even though it has been lost among many of the dead, it resides in the minds of the king and his advisors.

Long ago, the king had built a great wall, keeping the demons separate from his people. There, he met Luceria. One of the last sorceresses left to continue the trouble of fixing the wall after it had been breached. They fell madly in love and had a child, as was told from the king. Though it seemed to be a great time for all, there was a lie that was carried in this tale. 

Luceria didn't bear 'a' child, but she bore two. Twins in fact. One had the mark of good and light and the other evil and darkness. Full of joy and happiness, Luceria died after giving birth. Blinded by his sadness, the king concluded that the child with the mark of evil was only a bad omen sent from the dark depths of the underworld to destroy him. So he journeyed into the forest of the Black Dragon and left the child of evil alone in the darkness.

He returned home with his daughter in hand and destroyed any evidence of his other daughter. After he finished cleaning up after himself he went to see the seer of his kingdom, and there she told him of a war soon to come. This war was to be lead by a child bearing the mark of evil upon her forehead. He felt as if he had stopped the war from coming after he deserted the child in the forest, so he left without another word. Little did he know, that this young child was soon to be back, with revenge in mind. 

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Her heartbeat drummed in her ears as she raced through the forest, never looking back. Arrows flew past her head, barely missing her as she fled.

'A little further.' she thought. She ran until she reached the river, but gasped in surprise. The bridge had been demolished. All hopes of escaping disappeared as she stood there at the riverbank. Her black cloak swayed in unison with her black hair as hoof beats came closer and closer until they stopped behind her. 

"No where to run, demon girl." the commander said mockingly.

"Your threats carry no meaning to me. It is your own fate that has been sealed in the jaws of the black dragon. As will your corpses. I shall feed you the dragon with no heart," she said as her eyes flared in anger and confidence. 

Several of his men shuddered in fear, for rumor spoke of a young girl with black hair and red eyes, which was accompanied by the demon dragon. They all knew that their commander would not be able to help them against such power.

"Hah! You dare try to fool me? No mere child would be able to summon such a beast, let alone one of legends."

"Child, I am not, the only misguided child here is you. Have you not seen your men cower in fear? Do you see the doubt and fear in their eyes?"

The commander looked around at his men and knew that she had destroyed all confidence they had, diminishing them into nothing but mere cowards. Surly there was some trick to this girl, for she was so afraid of them earlier. What in the world caused her to become so confident, or was it the she was fooling them all this time?

"My soldiers are of no concern to you," he said as he unsheathed his sword and drew closer. "Consider your life no more!" He pushed his horse towards her at a gallop with his sword pointed at her neck.

Review!!


	2. Questioned Truth

Disclaimer on first chapter

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Questioned Truth"

Chapter 2

'The floor surely will be worn out by the time he stops pacing this madly,' Aurora thought, as she watched her father quickly pace in his throne room. 'What is he so anxious about?' 

Her knees began to hurt beneath her from standing motionless, while staring at her father through a small crack of the opened door. She was here because of a rumor she had heard of her father and his meetings with bounty hunters. What drove him to do such a thing was what she really wanted to know.

Just then the front doors burst open and in walked a battered and bleeding soldier barely alive. Her father immediately went to his side to find the information he desired.

"Where is your commander?" he asked half anxious and half worried.

"S-swallowed whole, m-my lord. E-every one gone. She l-let me go, t-to give you m-message." Out of his bloody pockets came a parchment with the seal of the Black Dragon.

The king's hands shook as he reached for the letter. He slowly broke the seal and opened it. Once he opened it fully he took a deep breath and read it. When he read the last word he instantly paled. The letter read:

Pain and torment are only two parts of death. I am the third part. Beware of the secrets the dark hides, for the past is hidden there, and in that darkness is where I shall bring my vengeance. 

BLACK DRAGONESS 

He crumpled up the parchment and threw it aside.

"Impossible. After 16 years of living in the wilderness and she still lives?!? Impossible I say!" He looked at the soldier in front of him as if it was the first time he noticed him there. "Take him to the infirmary." Several soldiers carefully took the wounded man away, leaving the king alone with his advisors.

"Do not panic, my lord. There are others who may be able to kill this girl, but it may come with a high price. Even if the bounty hunters fail to kill her, we still have the other princess at hand. We could use her power to save us from eternal darkness." the eldest advisor said.

"Yes, but that would cost her life."

"That is true, but wasn't that the only reason you kept her alive, to use her powers to threaten all the other nations and gain control over them? You do know that because we have her in our hands we now are the most feared kingdoms in Atlantis?" 

"Increase the bounty on her head, but from this note, we can tell that she is planning an attack. This war soon to come may be too big for Gaea alone to handle. Contact all of our allies and ask for their aid. There is no time to send soldiers out and repair the wall. And remember, if anyone finds out that that spawn of the demons is my daughter then my reputation as a king would be ruined. They would no longer respect me. Understand?"

"Yes your majesty." the advisors left without another word, leaving the king alone. 

'I have a sister?' Aurora thought. 'How can that be? Why didn't father tell me about her? Why does he want her killed? Does he even love me? Or am I just another tool in his quest for power?

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The king sighed, "Luceria, I am sorry. I've ruined your legacy. The prophecy was partly fulfilled, but I didn't want the rest of it to occur. I had to be on the top and now my past crimes has caught up with me." He sighed once more and left down the hall to his left. The opposite direction from where she stood. She turned and leaned against the wall next to her.

Thousands of questions formed in her mind, but only one of them was what she really needed to know. What was she to do now?

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~*~*~*~*~

"I can't believe you never told me that my father was that stupid good for nothing king of Gaea. Ugh, it makes me sick even thinking about it," she shuddered and turned to her guardian. "Why did you take me in? Why not kill the child of the king?"

He slightly chuckled by her sarcastic tone as he answered, "As much as I wanted to, I was ordered not to, because, you see I answer to a higher power. As powerful as I am, there are those who are even more powerful. Something tells me that your part in the future of this world has only begun. This war soon to come is only the start of the battle that will decide the fate of all who inhabit this world."

"Hmm, will I have to meet them, I mean the higher rank demons, later on in my life? Will fate lead me into the dark depths of the dead and tormented? The very thought of it shakes my soul." she held her pendent which is a black stone that came from the very depths of the Netherworld where she never wished to be. 

"Where you shall reach will not be decided by me or any prophecy, but by you and only you. You create your own fate, not some legacy your mother began. Remember, there is no place in this world that I will not follow you to." he said as he rested on of his clawed hands on her shoulder very softly making certain that he didn't hurt her.

"When will I find out the meaning of my existence, Taharka? When will I discover the true meaning of the war that I will create?" Selena demanded.

"The answer will come, but only when it is time."

"Humph, even though you are king of dragons, you seem not to know much of the big events to happen."

"Well no human, dragon or demon is perfect!" he said laughing. "Well, enough dawdling, we need to go to the Valley of the Dead where your army awaits your command." Selena sighed and stood.

"These bounty hunters are becoming ruthless. I am amazed by the numbers that have crossed into this dark part of the world."

"The bounty on your head must be a great deal. Your father himself is beginning to become restless. Desperate actually, to keep his reputation clean."

"Once we reach the Valley of the Dead, we move forward towards Gaea and attack tomorrow at sunset. I want to see this coward that claims to be the honorable king of Gaea face to face, and see him cower in fear."

"Once we attack, you will probably reach him only by nightfall, why at night?" Taharka asked puzzled.

"Cowards are always afraid of the dark."


	3. The Battle of Hate

Disclaimer in first chapter

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The Battle of Hate"

Chapter 3

Sunset was drawing near, and all of the warriors and samurais had gathered at the Silver gates of Gaea. Thousands of men surrounded the great capital of the world of Atlantis, yet there was still doubt in the hearts of them all. Never have they fought against such ruthless creatures of the dark. They had no knowledge of the powers these monsters obtained, leaving them at a disadvantage. 

The commanders and generals had all gathered in the conference room with the king to discuss the matters at hand.

"There hasn't been word from the troops that were guarding the opening in the wall where it had been breached. Nor has there been any word from the nearby towns. It's like they all vanished," said the highest ranking general to the right of the king. 

"I understand, but I believe that the Black Dragon has already taken control of that area. He needs to; due to the fact that that is the way they shall be coming through to attack our city. In order for us to end this battle victorious, we must find out what we can about this army soon to come. Have there been any survivors from these attacks?"

"We were able to find one, but only one. He seems to be in a state of shock and never speaks of anything that ever makes sense," the same general explained.

"What does this mad man speak of?" The whole room fell silent awaiting the answer from the general.

"He speaks of a huge black dragon, the one of legend we presume, with blood red eyes that matches the blood stained ground that he stands on in his dreams." There were several faint murmurs among them after hearing these words, until the general spoke once more. "But, one thing seem unclear to me. He also speaks of a girl, with the mark of evil on her forehead that follows this dragon, while aiding him in his journey of destruction."

"It cannot be," the king whispered. "Make sure all civilians have evacuated the city and gather all of those who are willing to fight in this war. There will be no rest for the men of Gaea; the war that will decide the fate of Gaea has begun."

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~*~*~*~*~

Aurora Stared down from her window at the busy soldiers of Gaea. All of the citizens were gone and now she was alone. Her father was always away at meetings with the representatives of the other nations and or with the generals. He seemed to have forgotten he even had a daughter and left her unprotected inside the castle walls. She walked down the silent corridors until she met up with her father's right hand man. 

"Your father wishes that you leave to your uncle's kingdom before war is brought upon us."

"No." Aurora stated coldly. She was angry and felt betrayed by her father and his men he controlled. She was angry with all those who lied to her. "I can fight," she lied, "there is no reason for me to leave, when I can be a valuable asset in winning this war!"

"You are the only heir left. You must lead your country if your father is not able to re--"

"I am not alone!"

The general was shocked by her sudden outburst, but soon regained himself, thinking she didn't know anything of what had happened long ago. "What do you mean by that? You are an only child. There is no one that can take your place as leader of Gaea!" 

"You know very little, general," she stated coldly once again. "I know of my other sister. She is the one who is leading the attack against us. For 16 years you, my father and everyone else who knew lied to me! Why should I listen to you? If my father wanted me to be safe, why not come and tell me himself? Has he no courage to face his own daughter?! Obviously not, since he has already used that courage to face his other daughter." 

The general stood there in complete and utter shock, not knowing what to say, or to do. There wasn't anything he could really do. She was right. Everyone she knew in her life had been lying to her for as long as she could remember.

"I found out the truth after hiding in the shadows like my sister does now. Have you or my father no heart? Tell me, were you there when he abandoned her?" 

"Y-yes, I was. But you have to understand; this was only for the safety of the kingdom. The prophecy foretold great destruction because of this child!"

"You dare ask me to understand?!? You betrayed me! I trusted you all and now I find out the truth behind it all. You and my father are nothing but a bunch of heartless cowards!"

With that said, she stomped off down the dimly lit halls towards a destination unknown. She just wanted to get away, away from it all. 

Once she reached the very top of the castle, she stood next to the railing on the balcony that overlooked the whole kingdom and the sea next to it. The balcony was a large flat circular area with the crest of Gaea in the middle. The crest was the image of the silver dragon, Nova.

As she stared off into the distance at the setting red sun, the castle began to shake and cries of war could be heard. The horn of Gaea blared into the red sky declaring that the war had finally come.

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"It is time to take action! No more hiding in the darkness. We no longer need to fear these weak pests! Rise above them and take back the lands that once were ours! Kill only those who threaten your life, there is no need to shed any blood that is unnecessary. Nor is there no need for us to seem as bloodthirsty monsters. Disobey these commands and you shall join the dead by **_my_** blade." 

Several of the creatures grunted in disappointment, but knew she spoke the truth. They did now wish to draw out the war longer than it is need to be, but they didn't want to hide all of their lives either. Many wished for peace, but others sought for total control.

Selena stood on the high cliff top that oversaw the battle and in the distance stood the great Gaian Castle and the army of the creatures and demons she commanded. The sun began to set, signaling their attack.

The first to move forward were the creatures on horseback killing and distracting the enemies upon the wall. After them are the ones with magic to breach the silver gates, allowing the forces of evil in. Soon after them, were the ogres and the bigger creatures with axes to storm through the breach first, using their brute strength to destroy the catapults and cannons. Thus allowing the weaker and smaller monsters to attack unharmed. Finally behind them all held the archers, killing all the enemies in sight with their magic arrows.

Taharka and Selena stood on top the cliff watching over the battle. As they searched for her father, out of the corner of her eye, she saw on the very top of the castle, a bright flicker of light.

"Hmm, a summoning spell? They dare challenge me at the game of summons? So be it. They shall feel the wrath of the guardian of The Black Gates! Come Taharka! We shall show them the real power that drives us to such a war!" With that Taharka flew towards the castle with Selena on her back with a new purpose in mind.

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~*~*~*~*~

Aurora stood in complete shock and disgust. So much blood had been spilt, so many dead because of a simple but powerful thing. Hate. This whole war was driven by their hate and anger.

'This has got to stop!' She stood in the middle of the crest of Gaea and began to summon the dragon of Light, Nova.

Bright light engulfed her and then shot up into the sky. Suddenly, once it reached a certain height, it expanded and covered a big portion of the sky. Out of the middle of the bright circle of light, came a white dragon with feathered wings and eyes of the brightest stars. It also had a silver gem in the middle of its forehead.

Nova landed in front of Aurora with her back to the battle.

"Please help the kingdom you sought to protect! In this time of need, lend us the strength to carry on," Aurora pleaded. Understanding Aurora's need, Nova took flight once more and flew towards Taharka, ready to fight.

"Nova. I didn't think I'd see you so soon. It doesn't matter. You are only here because they cannot handle their own war. Let's see how you fare against your nemesis. Your opposite. Your demon!" Taharka made the first move, by gathering a great ball of energy in his mouth and shot it at Nova. Quickly, Nova countered his attack by one of his own.

As soon as Taharka flew close enough to the top of the castle, Selena jumped off and landed in front of Aurora.

"Well, well, well. Why it isn't anyone other than the daughter of the king. I feel so special to be in your presents, my 'princess'," Selena said mockingly.

"Who are you?!" Aurora demanded.

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to? You already know who I am, the real question is, what do you do now? Fight your fathers nemesis, or fight along side against the man who betrayed you?" Selena stated while smiling as she took a step closer. Aurora stepped back, unsure of herself and what she was to do. Selena was right; she didn't know what to do. Was she to fight her sister and save her father, or fight her father and save her sister?


	4. A Heart Frozen By the Past

Disclaimer in first chapter.

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"A Heart Frozen by the Past"

Chapter 4

Taharka and Nova continued fighting, and blocking each other's attacks. Each trying to prove the element they controlled was higher and more powerful than the other. Selena and Aurora battled to prove their own feelings to be right. They both were trying to prove that their father was either to die, or to survive. Aurora, with less fighting skills, had suffered from a great number of hits from Selena's dark magic, but kept trying to stay out of her range, which failed miserably.

Once Aurora was barely able to move, Selena unsheathed her sword. As she did the rain clouds above them, began to release its tears of sorrow upon the battlefield, as flashes of lightning showed the anger the battle contained as well.

"Those who stand against me shall not stand at all. It is your time to fall to my blade!" Selena lunged at her and was about to strike her from above, when suddenly their pendants began to glow. They both gasped in surprise, but were soon engulfed by a bright red light and then a huge explosion erupted from where they stood, throwing their unconscious bodies into the watery depths beside the castle. Once in the grasps of this water demon, the tides quickly engulfed them.

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When Taharka and Nova heard the explosion, they searched the ocean's surface in search of the twins, but to no avail. The twins were presumed dead, bringing a new meaning into the battle. This battle was a battle of hate and vengeance. 

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~*~*~*~*~

The sound of waves crashing against the cliffs entered her unconscious mind. Her senses began to return to her as she slowly woke. A cold shiver ran over her as she finally grasped the fact of where she was, in the water. She lay there waiting for some explanation for this to come to mind.

Once the memory of the past events reoccurred to her, she slowly got up and staggered over to the sleeping form next to her. There was a deep gash in Aurora's right arm, leaving her in great pain.

"Humph, figures. If she dies, then she will die by my blade and my blade alone," Selena said as she squatted down next to Aurora and tended to her wound. Once the bleeding stopped, Selena carefully pulled her out of the water. After a couple of minutes Aurora woke with a groan. "Finally!" Selena groaned.

"Where am I?" Aurora asked.

"A forest about 10 miles from the Village of the Lost Summoners. Once you've healed then we will have to end this battle once and for all. It's either I die or you do," Selena stated coldly.

Aurora looked away from her and spoke, "Why do you want to kill me for?"

"You stand in the way of my goal."

"Well then why don't you finish me now?!" Aurora demanded angrily.

"It wouldn't be fair. You're wounded. Get up, we need to go before that storm reaches us." Selena walked away from the beach with Aurora not very far behind. 

Hours passed like an eternity, as the silence between them remained unbroken, as the temperature around them dropped. The freezing cold shot shivers over them both as they walked towards the village.

"How much further until we get there?" Aurora asked.

"About 3 hours walk, but maybe four if you keep slowing me down," Selena growled. Just then a sudden gust of wind blew over them, causing snow to cover their already cold bodies.

"We cannot go any further! This storm will swallow us whole if we do not find shelter in time!" Aurora yelled over the roar of the wind.

"I can continue! I am not weak like you or my father. I will never bend to the will of nature or any other source that stands in my way!" Selena yelled back and turned to continue towards the village, but stopped suddenly when the ground began to shake. They both looked up at the mountain near them, only to see snow falling towards them.

"Selena run!! Get out of the way!" Aurora yelled after getting out of the way of the snow herself.

"I can handle this myself. I will not fall to the force of nature." Selena's hands began to form balls of black energy, covering her entire hands. "I will not show any weakness. I'll show you that nothing can stop me." With that, Selena shot two beams of black energy from her palms at the incoming snow, but there was too much snow. It covered her and pushed her off of the cliff down towards the sea beside them.

"Selena!!!" Aurora yelled. 

Selena fell, but was able to hold onto the edge of the cliff, barely able to hold on 

"Aurora, help me!" Selena screamed. Fear and doubt rushed over Aurora as she stood there not knowing what to do. 

"What are you waiting for?!" Just then the sad truth hit her, Aurora was scared. She wouldn't be able to save her now, and anyways, why would she? She had brought this upon herself. "So, you hate me that much? I swear, I shall return and reek revenge on our father and you as well," Selena said angrily. The anger the flared in her eyes would burn a scar in her mind forever. Never had she seen so much hate in a person. 

Selena's grip loosened and she wasn't able to hold on any longer. Aurora stood and watched in horror as Selena fell to her death. She was gone and Aurora couldn't do anything about it. Aurora didn't do anything to try and help Selena, because she was frozen in shock. Shame washed over her at this realization. She could have saved her only if she tried. After all she could have used her magic to save her from the snow, but she couldn't because she was too scared. She fell to her knees sobbing at her own heartless act. 

After releasing the tears of sorrow, Aurora stood up and walked to the cliff where Selena fell to see if she had survived the fall, but to no avail. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered these few words.

'Death grips you now, but not forever. You were right. Hate drove us all, even me. Now I understand sister, anger and hate, is equal to our death. Forgive me.'


	5. Epilouge

Disclaimer in first chapter.

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"Hate Never Dies"

Epilogue

Many years past and Selena passed out of all knowledge. She was presumed dead by all, except Aurora. For some odd reason Aurora knew in her heart that her sister was alive and was soon going to be back for revenge. Even though she knew this, Aurora brought peace among the world, uniting the kingdoms together and tried to do so with the demons, but they resisted. 

Time wore on after the events and now the demon world and the human world remained separate. The wall was repaired and now no more demons were able to cross over the boundary. The era was known as the Age of Light, because of the power Aurora held that brought the capital out of the darkness Selena put it under. Never did they even begin to know, that that darkness was soon to come once again, for the prophecy was not over yet.

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~*~*~*~*~

Deep within the mountains of Alore, lay the prophecy herself. Her black hair laid gently across the cold snow stained red. No life could be seen within her, except for a single movement. Her eyelids flickered slightly and then slowly opened. The red in her eyes had dulled and didn't show the fierce flame in them as it did before. They were ice cold as was her heart. Her father and her sister had betrayed her, leaving her alone once again in this cold and heartless world. Her hate towards them kept her alive, but let her heart die with her soul. No longer was she truly alive, for she now lives without a soul. Her frozen hands slowly came to life, even though they were obviously frozen because of the blue color they held.

Her lips moved slowly but not a sound could be heard over the roaring wind as she whispered these words, "Neither death nor pain shall stop me from my destiny. The hands of time on your life are slowly coming to a stop. As life tells, hate never dies."

By Rebecca Nguyen

11/16/03

Period 3-4

Lang.


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